


A Wrong Turn

by stereolightning (phalaenopsis)



Series: Teddy Lupin Stories [6]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gen, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-22
Updated: 2014-07-22
Packaged: 2018-02-09 21:53:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 906
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1999284
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/phalaenopsis/pseuds/stereolightning
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Teddy takes a wrong turn after a job interview in the Department of Mysteries. So does somebody else...</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Wrong Turn

Teddy felt uncertain about the prospect of working for the Department of Mysteries, but Hermione had very kindly set up an interview, so he'd come. His interview robes felt stiff, new, and overly starched.

"Can you see yourself out?" asked the harried Unspeakable who had spent the last hour asking him seemingly tangential questions about his interests and tasking him with riddles about kneazles and heffalumps. "Only, be careful when you pass the third corridor, someone smashed about a hundred thousand time turners down there, and sometimes very odd things happen. Just the other day I saw a fellow in a doublet and hose. Although that may have been Ithamar having one of his little jokes again."

Teddy nodded. Sure, this was the Department of Mysteries. This was hardly the weirdest thing she had said to him during their bizarre interview. He shook her hand and followed the coal-colored tile corridor, chuckling inwardly at the absurdity of the day.

Well, it was nice of Hermione to offer. He would have to send a thank-you owl. He began composing one in his head, and did not realize he hadn't paid attention to his surroundings until something fast and fuchsia slammed into him.

No, not something, he decided as he was knocked off-balance. Someone. He caught her shoulders to keep them both from crashing to the floor.

"Fuck. Sorry," said the witch who had just face-planted herself in his chest. She looked up at him with dark, twinkling eyes and frantically brushed down the front of her robes. She was shorter than he was, but not by much. Her hair was vividly pink.

He recognized her instantly.

"Have you seen Alastor?" she asked. "Only, it's my third week and I still can't find my way around this bloody place. These corridors all look the same."

She was prettier in person than in photos. She looked a little like Gran, and in a strange way, even a little like Victoire – something about the way her eyes were always smiling.

"Yeah, they do," Teddy said, stunned, but catching his breath. "I was just thinking that. But no, I haven't seen... anybody else."

"Ah, well. He's got a magical eye. He can come and find me himself if it's that urgent," she said, a grin tugging up the corners of her mouth. "Are you new as well?" she asked. "No, can't be, you look school-age."

"Erm, no, I've only just interviewed. I don't think I'll take the job even if they offer, though, honestly. I'm not that keen on brains in tanks."

"Yeah. Take my advice, do something you like doing. Life is short, isn't it," she said, raking her pale fingers through her brilliantly bubblegum-pink hair.

"Thanks. I'll keep that in mind," he said.

She laughed and shook her head. "You don't have to be so nice to me," she said. " _ _I'm__ not interviewing you. This isn't a test. Although the gentleman thing is working for you. We don't get that much around here. Pack of arrogant, chain-smoking conspiracy theorists, most of the Auror office. I'm almost ready to throw in the towel and go out with Dawlish."

"Oh, don't do that. I'm sure you'll meet someone nice very soon," he said.

"Ta, love," she said. "You are sweet."

She looked at her watch. He looked at her. He thought he could look at her for weeks and never tire of it. He noticed she often shifted her weight from one foot to another, as if constantly thinking about where to go next. How old was she – twenty-one, twenty-two? In another year, she would meet his father, and in another three years, she would be dead. It seemed impossible. She was so vivid, so full of __joi de vivre__ , so... _ _pink__.

"Lupin," she said.

His jaw dropped. "What?"

She giggled. "S'on your visitor's badge. E. Lupin. That's an interesting name. Haven't heard it before."

"Er, yeah, there aren't a lot of us. French name, I think, originally. Huguenots."

She squinted at his badge again.

"Well, E. Lupin of Wolverhampton, it was nice meeting you."

She held out her hand. Her nails, lacquered in chipped violet polish, twinkled. The back of her hand was rubber-stamped with faded blue ink that said The Weird Sisters, which evidently she hadn't felt like metamorphosing off after the concert. He shook her hand and looked into her dark eyes, wondering how many times he had looked into them as a baby. Probably not that many, honestly – there had been so little time.

She beamed at him, and then winced. "You are fit, aren't you? I'd ask you to go out with me if you were a little older. But anyway, good luck with everything. Nice meeting you."

"Yeah. Very nice meeting you as well. Really, really nice, actually," he said, releasing her hand. So warm and solid.

She grinned. "It's funny, I don't remember you from school."

"Oh, yeah. I think we just missed each other."

"Must have. Anyway. I'd love to stay and chat, but I'm supposed to talk to Kingsley about something. Maybe we'll run into each other again sometime."

"Maybe we will."

She shot him a parting smile of radiant warmth, bounded down the dark corridor, and disappeared.

For a long moment he stood, irresolute, smiling and wiping his eyes and regarding the place where she had just been.

Perhaps there was something compelling about this Department of Mysteries job after all.


End file.
